THOUSANDS of chickens perished last night after their barn went up in flames.

Firefighters from across Hampshire spent the night fighting the flames that engulfed one of the chicken barns on Greenwood Farm in East Wellow.

A few of the chickens managed to escape as the fire started just after 5pm, but the ferocity of the fire trapped the majority inside the wooden structure, killing 6,000 chickens.

The single storey barn, which was 60m by 25m, was one of four barns in the field.

More than 25 firefighters, with four pumps and four jets, spent eight hours putting out the blaze, which was under control by 1am.

One crew from Romsey currently remains at the scene, dampening down what remains to ensure it does not re-ignite.

There are no indications yet as to how the blaze started and an investigation has been launched.